Grey Acceptance

Was she giving up? She didn't think so. The end was inevitable, no matter what she did. There was nothing she could do now and just because she accepted that didn't mean she was giving up.

She moved slowly over to the window. She almost laughed at how hard such a task seemed now compared to before. It was still a shock at how fast her energy was deteriorating. Her skin hung loose to her slight frame, a waxy pale colour. Almost grey.

Outside shone with the early sun. Everything glittered under the warming rays and it made her morning that much better. What else was there to live for after seeing such a beautiful moment in time? Nothing could ruin this moment. Not even death itself.

Death. Such a disliked word. Just the mention of it made the hairs on peoples's arms rise. She didn't understand it. Death was natural. It came to us all, but it didn't have to be rough and terrifying. Death would come to her gently, wrapping it's arms around her in a warming hug - that she was sure of.

She laughed at how morbid she sounded. Of course she didn't want to die. She loved life just like the next person. No, it was just that she was ready for it now. Life had given to her all it could, and she had took it gratefully. But all good things must come an end after all.

She frowned at the thought of her family and friends. They would not handle this well - of course they wouldn't, they loved her. That was her only regret. She trembled at the pain she knew she would leave behind.

Fumbling with the latch, she finally managed to open her window. A soft breeze blew in gently, caressing her tired body. Her eyelids rested over eyes, and she sighed carelessly. The sound of the traffic reached her ears, so she stopped to listen. Life would go on. The people that knew her would heal.

A dog barked. A car beeped it's horn. The early morning rush had started, and she was glad she wasn't in it. She knew only too well that it was a mistake to rush life. Sometimes it was nice to take the race at the turtles pace.

She opened her eyes as a fluttering sound came closer. She stilled as a lone, grey dove flew towards her and perched onto her window sill. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Well hello there, pretty." She whispered and once again, the weakness in her voice shocked her.

The bird tilted it's head and stared at her. It's wings shook and then it took off, back into the morning sky. She watched it for a while, till it disappeared into the distance.

Exercise summary

Your challenge, should you choose to except it, is to write a paragraph - may it be dialogue, a description, part of a solilioqy or a diary - inspired by a specific colour chosen by the person who writes the previous chapter, e.g. I write a paragraph and choose the colour 'red', then the person after me writes a paragraph inspired by the colour red. Not as easy as it sounds, but give it a go!

Author guidance

You pick a colour (I've started with Jade) and then write a paragraph inspired by that colour. Jade is a form of green, so I've used the emotion of jealousy for my paragraph about a Chinese girl who wishes she was as pretty as a ballet dancer.

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